


Think of the Tender Things

by shishigami



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Characters, Everyone Is Gay, Expect for James, F/M, Family Feels, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Other, Post-Canon, Remus 'My Family Is a Christmas Commercial' Lupin, Remus and Tonks are alive and Raising Their Son, Remus and Tonks survive the Battle of Hogwarts, Swearing, Teddy is a Little Shit, Teddy is figuring stuff out, mention of canon character death, okay so that's a lie, this was supposed to be less angsty, very slightly implied but
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 17:50:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13440051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shishigami/pseuds/shishigami
Summary: Teddy has something to tell his family, but turns out he isn't the only one.Or the one where Teddy comes out to his parents over the Christmas Holidays and in doing so discovers his father's secret gay past. Remus is suffering, as usual.





	Think of the Tender Things

**Author's Note:**

> Wotcher, y'all!
> 
> This fic is something I've had in my head for a while now and mainly wrote to get myself to write at all, being the huge procrastinator I am, but also because I'm salty and a sucker for Wolfstar. Hope you like it!
> 
> This is my first proper fic ever, so feedback is greatly appreciated! Also, English isn't my mother tongue, so if you spot any mistakes, hit me up.
> 
> Thanks to my bro for proofreading and encouraging to post this silly little thing!
> 
> The title is from Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds. The most original idea ever to use song lyrics as a headline, you know the drill, but hey whatever.

Teddy Lupin drummed his fingers against the tabletop in anticipation while his father rattled around in the family’s kitchen. Snowflakes were drifting lazily outside the window.

It was the winter holiday of Teddy’s fourth year at Hogwarts, and he was home seeing his parents. After having a rather serious discussion with one of his friends at school, Teddy had decided to properly come out to his parents. He was fairly certain they knew he wasn’t straight, but it’d still be nice to announce it properly.

Teddy had no fears whatsoever; the Lupin family was fairly liberal and neither of his parents had ever hinted that they expected him to fit the “proper” archetype of marriage and having kids. On the contrary, since he was a kid they had often told him to ignore other people’s prejudices and do as his own heart told him, even though it might rise some eyebrows. Partly it was obviously about his own dad being a werewolf, but in addition, his parents were really open-minded people. Given that Teddy’s mother had also early on told his son she considered herself a bisexual, worrying was pretty futile.

Tonks charged into the kitchen, startling Teddy, who was deep in thought, and almost toppling over a pile of books, which were haphazardly positioned between the kitchen and the living room entrances, no doubt left there by his father.

“WOTCHER, BOY,” she cheerfully announced and slumped ungracefully into the chair opposite of Teddy’s.

“It’s rare to see you so concentrated on something,” she continued and snorted at the good-humored huff Teddy let out. Her hair was short and bright red in the honour of Christmas, while Teddy’s was dark green and styled upwards. She also wore a hideous jumper with Santa Claus’s sledge and falling snowflakes in it, which was charmed so it started to play music if you pressed the leading reindeer’s nose. Teddy’s father, Remus, always complained about it good-naturedly but had told Teddy he secretly found it awesome, if a bit too overkill for himself.

Teddy glanced back to his mother and rubbed his neck a tad bit embarrassed. “Actually, I was thinking that I’d tell you and dad something…” he started and threw a quick look towards the kitchen. Remus Lupin was pouring hot water into three faded mugs and glanced over at the mention of himself.

"Start ahead, I’ll be over in a second,” he called but Teddy just looked at the table and waited, his stomach twisting itself in nervous knots. Tonks eyed him curiously from her laid-back pose.

Remus came to the table and handed the tea mugs to Teddy and Tonks with low murmurs of thanks from them and then sat down next to his wife. When Teddy was little, he had always sat next to him until Teddy had declared at the grown age of nine it was embarrassing and his father had changed seats with a slightly nostalgic chuckle.

Teddy looked up to his parents’ expecting faces. His father was trying to be nonchalant, sipping his tea and watching the scenery outside, but his less-than-subtle glances betrayed his thoughts. His mother didn’t even try, staring Teddy intensely with her eyebrows raised.

“Look, I…” Teddy started but cut off unsatisfied. “That is, I’m making this way harder than it needs to be,” he rambled on and grimaced. His parents looked worried now, and Remus had stopped drinking his tea.

“I know this is probably okay with you and, this is just stupid,” Teddy continued and grimaced. “Bloody hell – sorry, dad –, okay, so I...I’m….Ilikeboys,” he finished quickly and drank half of his tea in one go, an action he immediately regretted. He risked a glance at his parents, who were blinking back at him.

“Augh, you didn’t catch that?” he asked reluctantly, just as Remus said “Boy, would you mind repeating that a tad slower,” and grinned despite himself. His panic seemed somehow so useless now.

“I said that I like boys. Too. Still girls and...I think I’m like mum,” he finished. “I hope that’s okay with you,” he finished, smiling, while his mother jumped up with a “I KNEW IT,” and rushed to crush him in her arms. His father smiled – actually, Teddy had seldom seen his father look so happy. Usually his smiles were mixed with some other emotion, mostly regret, but this held nothing but unguarded happiness.

“Of course it’s okay, I’m a bit worried you had to ask that, actually,” he said and reached to press Teddy’s arm briefly over the table. To Teddy’s horror, he looked a bit teary-eyed. Tonks returned to her own place with a last shoulder punch and a triumphant grin.

“I take it you fancy someone –”

“Dora –”

“– what’re they like, are they in the same grade –”

“– leave him alone – ”

Tonks struck her tongue out but stopped her tirade of questions. Teddy laughed, secretly relieved by his father’s interruption.

“He’s truly our kid, no doubt about that,” said Tonks then, turning to Remus with an overly amused expression. “Ain’t nobody in this god damn family straight.”

Teddy perked up.

“What?” he said, turning to his father. Tonks’s expression fell.

“Oh, shit, sorry Remus – ,” she started but he waved her off.

“Nah, it’s alright Dora. Kind of odd I’d kept shut about that, actually,” he said with a half formed smile. Teddy stared at his father who, despite his smile, looked awfully sad. Pained.

"I’ll tell you about that later,” he concluded and returned to his tea. “I’m awfully proud of you, Teddy, you know that, right?”

Teddy nodded, flushing with embarrassment but still awestruck over his father’s apparent past love life. His mother fit the picture perfectly, all right – even stereotypically, some might say – with her bright hair and general oddness, but his _father_...that was something Teddy had not seen coming. His father, rather sickly and greying and timid, always reading a book...all right, maybe not that timid, Teddy thought to himself remembering few past incidents and some tales his mother and Harry had told him, unknown by the man in question, of course. But still…

Remus was eyeing him knowingly, seemingly amused despite the quiet ache behind his eyes. “Later,” was all he said, and Teddy nodded, returning to his tea with a churning heart.

 

* * *

 

Later turned out to be the evening of Teddy’s last holiday day. He’d been convinced his dad was not going to tell anything, after all, and had accepted it but not without feeling slightly mournful. It had seemed painful to him to think about and Teddy didn’t need to know everything, right? So, if it inconvenienced his dad so much, he could let it lie. Even if he was really _really_ curious.

When Remus knocked lightly on his door – a gesture his mom never seemed capable of doing – and stepped inside, Teddy was actually surprised. He watched his dad offer him a fleeting smile as he gingerly sat on the bed and crossed his legs. In his arms was an old photo album Teddy had half-heartedly leafed through a few times.

Teddy raised his other eyebrow in a question. “What is it, dad?” he asked, although he was quite sure what the man had came to tell him. His doubts were confirmed, when his dad coughed and and clasped his hands together.

“Well,” he started, “I’d reckon you know our friend group from Hogwarts...and Harry has also surely told you…”

Teddy gaped.

“No way! Dad, did you have an affair with...with Harry’s dad?!”

Remus’s face blanked for a second and then he burst out laughing, all the nervous energy from his body vanishing. While Teddy stared, he balanced his hands on his knees and gasped for breath.

“Bloody hell, boy, pardon my French. With James! No, no I really didn’t! That would’ve been like...no!” he wiped the corner of his left eye still chuckling, “Moreover, James was so fixated on Lily since we were like, thirteen, it would’ve been a fool’s errand, even if I...but good God, no.”

Teddy had sat on the floor in front of his dad, packing forgotten. His dad continued and offered him the photo album, which he had opened to the picture of four boys, one of them unmistakingly his dad.

“Yes, so...there was me, and James, obviously,” he said, pointing, “then, Peter Pettigrew...yeah, nasty business,” he grimaced, seeing Teddy’s face, fingers skipping over a blonde, short boy, “and finally, Sirius…”

He trailed off and glanced at Teddy, who was stuck staring at a young, very good-looking man in a leather jacket, laughing over something someone outside of the picture had said.

“Sirius _Black?!_ Harry’s godfather? Damn, dad. Never took you for a someone who...scored that high,” he finished, wincing at his words. Remus let out a choked sound somewhere between a laugh and an offended huff.

“Did my _own son_ just,” he started but trailed off and kicked Teddy lightly on the knee instead. They were quiet for a moment.

“That’s pretty neat, though. I mean, not every boy in Hogwarts looks like Sirius Black,” Teddy said then, and Remus groaned.

“Do you know how weird it is to hear your own son gush over your ex-boyfriend?” he muttered, wiping a hand over his scarred face. “As if he’d need another ego boost..”

Teddy grinned. His dad was usually pretty reserved, and certainly didn’t kiss and tell about his private affairs. He ought to make the most of the opportunity, while he still could. Merlin only knew this wasn’t going to happen again in the next twenty years, at least.

“So, how did it all begin?” he asked excitedly, leaning forward.

“How’d it – good God, what am I going to do with you,” Remus said, but he was smiling.

“Well, you know about his looks – obviously,” Teddy snorted, “that certainly didn’t hurt, but first and foremost he was one of my closest friends. Sirius was kind of a...driving force of our group, along with James. They were inseparable and fed each other’s terrible ideas, whereas with Peter, Sirius was a much more dismissive...thought about whether that was one of the motives behind – ” Remus cut himself off, frowning.

“Anyway. With me, Sirius was...well, I don’t know, kinder _really_ isn’t the word I’m looking for...but it was him who figured out my lycanthropy and it was also his idea to become animagi, or that’s what I’ve heard. He was always the rebellious type...but I’d no idea about his queerness, really, not until he kissed me.” Remus chuckled.

“I’m the most certain that I’ve never been so surprised in my entire life, aside for a few things,” his eyes flickered to Teddy, “looking back at it now, I’d say it was quite obvious, but well...I was preoccupied with trying to ignore my own feelings – as if being a werewolf hadn’t been enough – and failing spectacularly, as you can guess.”

“It was...let’s see, spring of ‘75 or ‘76...we were sixteen and he was already living with the Potters...that’d make it ‘76. We were just kids, honestly...but so were James and Lily, really, when they had Harry…” Remus’s voice quieted down and he was left staring into the vacant space, seemingly deep in thought. This happened often when he was talking about his time at Hogwarts or in First Wizarding War, and Teddy waited patiently. In a while his father continued:

“We didn’t have a clue what we were doing, really...well, I still don’t, if we’re being honest...but, what can I say? We were two queer kids in love in the '70s…” Teddy was a little thrown at the strong phrase, but his father didn’t seem to have noticed.

“An heir to the Black family, though disowned, but still…” Remus pursed his lips. “‘The Pure and Most Ancient’ or however that pretentious motto went...grandma Andromeda will no doubt remember. They even had a fancy paragraph in French, which I’m not going to try to pronounce. Merlin, the things Sirius must have gone through in that household...he never really talked about it, was almost as bad as expressing things as I am, but...I wish I could’ve done more for him, in that regard. Especially after Azkaban,” a shadow crossed over his face, “but I was a fool and never asked, even though he might’ve needed that...or he could have just thrown a fit and not talked to me for a week.” Remus’s mouth twitched. “Never knew with Sirius for sure.”

He glanced at Teddy suddenly, as if remembering only now that he was still there.

“Sorry, got a bit sidetracked, you probably didn’t want to hear all that,” he half-grimaced. “Anyway...after school, I moved in with him.”

“What!”

“Yeah. I’m not the most spontaneous person,” Teddy snorted – an underestimation – “but there was something...corrupting about Sirius. Stop laughing! ‘Moony, fancy to share a flat with me’ he says, and whoops, there I was. I’ll never get how mom and dad agreed to that, I sure wouldn’t now,” he said, quietly laughing.

“It was pretty wonderful. Or it really wasn’t, there was a war going on and we spent each minute being afraid for each other or for James or Lily or,” a shadow, “Peter...and other Order members, of course...and then Harry. But while it lasted, it was...it was pretty good. Well. More than. I’m not corrupting your young ears with details, don’t show that face to me,” he finished at the same time as Teddy yelled, “I _don’t_ want to know, dad, ew!”

Remus’s mouth twitched, then his expression closed up.

“But well...you already know what happened then. And when he came back...there was so much things going on and unrepaired and hurting, in general and between us that...well. There just wasn’t enough time. I hardly saw him in that one year and then...well...I don’t know. What could’ve happened. But it doesn’t really matter now, does it.”

Remus glanced quickly away. His eyes weren’t wet but the emotion dwelling in there was almost worse. Teddy felt a little ashamed, like he was intruding on something not meant for him to see.

“Sorry, I tend to...not to think about him much, at least like this, so,” his dad finished with a slightly choked off voice. Teddy didn’t quite know what he ought to say: he didn’t want to embarrass his dad, but nevertheless couldn’t help but ask:

“So you never talked about it after...after he came back? Not at all?”

Remus’s mouth formed an unhappy smile.

“Not really. You know how I am with things...that’s to say, terrible. And he wasn’t much better after Azkaban...we spent quite a lot of time together – well, taking the circumstances into account – at one point, first at my house at the time and then at the headquarters, but...it was hard to, to start talking about it. Which was stupid and I of course regret it, but that’s easy enough to say now. But what I’m trying to get across to you is, I guess that...if you deem somebody important, don’t just let them...float away.” Remus’s voice had gone very faint. “I can only wish you take after Dora in this and not after me.”

Teddy didn’t know what to think. He oddly felt like crying.

“Thanks for...thanks for telling me, dad,” he said then, breaking the heavy silence. “I’m...really glad that you did, honestly.”

Remus nodded and absently stroked the picture. “I’m glad too. That you told about yourself and...about this. Sorry if I got a little too much into depth there. Thought you just, ought to know.”

He stood up.

“I’d better leave you to your packing then, seeing that you’ve hardly started,” he continued, his eyes twinkling despite their somewhat faraway look. He extended his hand to fondly mess with Teddy’s hair and Teddy, for once, allowed it.

“See you tomorrow morning. Good night, Teddy.”

“Night, dad,” Teddy answered, still a little shook. At the door Remus stopped.

“You know that…well, of course you do, you’re a wise kid, but. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You know that, right.”

Teddy nodded. “Yeah,” he said, and after a slight hesitation continued, “I...I hope you do too, dad.”

Remus seemed taken aback for a moment. Then he smiled.

“Yes,” he said, his voice very soft, “I do now.”

The door closed. Teddy stared into the empty space for a while, possessed by nostalgia he shouldn’t have been able to feel, and noticed absentmindedly that his dad had, probably accidentally, left the photo album on his bed. He picked it up and gently set it aside, pages still open. Deciding he’d give it back tomorrow, Teddy sighed wistfully and resumed to his packing.

In the picture a teenage Sirius Black threw his head back in laughter.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you liked it, consider leaving a comment! I'll probably cry and it'd also be a great help to me as a writer to know what somebody else thinks of my ramblings. ;^)


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